Pretend
by the yellow canary
Summary: Harry and Hermione are good at pretending. Set during Half Blood Prince.


She's his best friend; his bushy haired friend who spends more time in the library than the Gryffindor Common Room. The girl who was slightly scary (_"They get scary when they're older"_, Ron had said and he had never heard his red headed friend say anything truer). She's the smartest person he's ever met; the smartest person he will _ever _meet.

_He's her best friend; her messy haired best friend who would give up anything to help someone. The boy who wouldn't hesitate to run into the clutches of You-Know-Who himself if it would mean that someone would stay safe. He's a Gryffindor through and through. He's the bravest person she's ever met; the bravest person she will _ever _meet. _

He'd rather play Quidditch or Chess than do his homework, but he knows it's important to her. He does it without complaint (for a bit) but it's actually worth it to watch her from the corner of his eye. When she's studying, she's at her calmest. The books she craved were her closest comfort and it caused a twinge in his heart when he figured out why; she never had friends before him and Ron and her books were the only thing in her life that she could trust. They both had miserable childhoods.

_She doesn't understand the addiction everyone around her had with Quidditch. Then again, she never really understood people around her. She's always been mature. He's the only one who will listen to her and do his homework (although he'll give up sooner or later, but she appreciates the effort). He's quiet and doesn't speak, something she likes. That's why she prefers to do homework with him than Ron because Harry could do it for himself. He was independent and she almost cried because she knew why; his relatives never looked after him, he had do it for himself. She had a miserable childhood but his was hard to think about. _

Ron is a very good friend, despite his short tempered and jealousy. Sure, he doesn't have a subtle bone in his body but he was honest and open with his emotions. Especially when they concern Hermione. They fought like an old married couple, according to the other Gryffindor, but he couldn't see them married. They were Ron and Hermione. Not _Ron_and_Hermione._

_Ron's a good friend. He's loyal and brave but is easily angered and jealous. Really, jealous of Harry? He should put himself in the shoes of Harry and see what it's like to be the _Boy Who Lived_. However, he really doesn't hold back when fighting. It doesn't matter who is on the other side: his brothers, Ginny... Her. He would seek out their weakest point and use it against them. It was very Slytherin in a way. It was why there would never really be _Ron_and_Hermione_._

He can remember that time when he couldn't take his eyes off Ginny. She was in every thought, every breath he took. It took an angry Hermione to break him out of it. She had been angered about his continued use of the Half Blood Prince's book and wasn't talking to him. It was when he was in the Common Room, speaking to the red headed sister of his best friend, when Hermione walked into the Common Room with tears in her eyes. He had stopped mid sentence, his eyes stuck on her as she sat in a far away corner and opened up a thick book, her hair obscuring her face and hiding the tears he knew were there.

_Ron had been angry and she had been the only person he could see. So, having no one else to take his anger he had turned on Hermione and now she could feel the warm tears falling down her cheeks. She turned around in a flourish of robes and curls and made her way back to Gryffindor Tower, ignoring Ron's huff as he goes in the other direction. Clutching the book to her chest, she made her way to the corner she often occupied and tried to ignore the further crushing of her heart as she noticed Harry and Ginny sat on the sofa, silly grins on both of their faces as they spoke quietly to one another. Looking down, she let the familiar black text on the yellow and aged paper wash over her. She felt pathetic that a _book _of all things gave her comfort that a person couldn't. _

"Go." He jumped slightly as Ginny spoke, her voice sounding much quieter than the the fierce girl usually sounded like. He turned to look at Ginny but his body was still facing Hermione who was trying her hardest to still her shaking shoulders; Harry knew though. Ginny's freckled face was sympathetic but he saw defeat in her brown eyes which were so different from those of his best friend who was so close but so far away. Ginny nodded and pushed him away and Harry frowned in confusion as Ginny's eyes clouded with tears. Harry stood up and looked over at Hermione and back down at Ginny who rolled her eyes but pushed him in Hermione direction before moving over to sit with some girls from her own year. Harry stood, frozen for a moment before taking long strides to his best friend.

_An arm wrapped around her shoulder and a hand pulled away her book. She didn't say anything and instead turned into his body as both arms enveloped her. She took a deep breath to try and stop the sobs but instead breathed him in. She stiffened and the tears fell faster, her shoulders shaking harder and his arms tightening around her. If only he knew._

He shouldn't really enjoy having her in his arms so much when the object of his affections for the last few months was sat on the opposite side of the room, but having Hermione in his arms was comforting and familiar and his eyes closed as his arms tightened around her small body. He opened his eyes, leaning his cheek on her unruly curls and his eyes met Ginny's who raised an eyebrow, a knowing look on her face as the rest of the girls around her looked at them with shocked eyes, jealousy covering their faces. One turned to the other and mouthed _Harry_and_Hermione_. The only thought he had was that _Harry_and_Hermione_ sounded a lot better than _Ron_and_Hermione._

_She should be angry with him but after everything that had happened she couldn't muster up the energy to stay mad. She just wanted to stay like this, where she could pretend that Harry's grip on her was as tight as hers was. She could pretend, she was good at that. _

His mind was racing. Hermione. Ginny. Hermione. Ginny. Hermione. Hermione. That bushy haired friend of his who helped him out more than anyone. Hermione Granger, the girl he rescued in first year who had grown _a lot _since then. Hermione Jean Granger, his best friend and the girl who was always there.

_He didn't say anything and for that she was grateful. Her heart would break if he told her what Ginny had said, that excited and goofy grin on his face that always appeared on his face when he always spoke about _her_. _

He could feel his eyebrows furrowed as a realization came over him. Everyone around him was as noisy and as boisterous as ever but the roaring noise of the Common Room seemed dull in his ears as Harry carried on hugging Hermione.

_The noise in the Common Room was as noisy as ever, and as always Hermione felt left out of the happy atmosphere of everyone around her. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the loud Common Room so she could enjoy the moment which was quickly coming to a close. As soon as Harry came to his senses and let her out of his arms. _

Harry pulled back and Hermione tried to smile at him, attempting to give him the smile she gave everyone when she wanted them to think she was alright but she was very much hurting inside. He gripped her hands in his and her eyebrows furrowed into a look of confusion which rarely took place on the bookworm's face.

_He gripped her hands and smiled at her and her breathing hitched; he was giving her the smile which he usually reserved for Ginny. She could feel confusion wash over her and wished that she could run and hide in the library and try to figure out what was the matter with her best friend. _

His mouth opened and he could feel the words on the tip of his tongue when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He saw Hermione face fall and knew immediately who it was. Turning round, he saw Ron take a seat beside him. "What's going on?" He asked, as oblivious as always and Hermione shook her head, Harry following and adding a smile.

"Nothing" They share a look and release each other's hands, pretending as if nothing ever happened. After all, they were both good at that.


End file.
